I regret the fact that I am not an anthropologist.
I also regret not being a Major League baseball player making a gazillion dollars a year with women hanging all over me and my name on the lips of every kid in America. But given my rather indifferent academic achievements, I would probably have as much chance of playing for my beloved White Sox as I would being employed as an observer of the cultural phenomenon that is modern American liberalism.
In a word, astonishing. R. Emmett Tyrell believes that liberals are the neediest human beings on the planet and, judging by the explosion of emotion and outrage on the left generated by the Libby pardon and other recent events, who would doubt him? This cloying need for high drama in their lives – a dramatic narrative that has them riding to the rescue to save America either from itself or, in this case, George Bush – is tinged with a breath of hysteria:
Time is running out! America is being destroyed! Our Freedoms are Vanishing!
Won’t someone DO something?
Like Cecil, the seasick sea serpent, whose stirring battle cry “I’m comin’ Beanie Boy!” split the airwaves every Saturday morning for my generation, so too liberals propose on riding to the rescue of the American people, saving the Republic by impeaching both the President and Vice President of the United States, and restoring peace and justice to the galaxy, rescuing the rest of us ordinary folk from the evil Sith Lords who hoodwinked more than 60 million people into voting for them in a free and fair election less than 3 years ago.
The fact that the presidency would then devolve to liberal Democrat, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, is entirely coincidental and has no bearing on whether the elected executive branch of the federal government should be decapitated and 2004 election annulled like a Kennedy marriage. How dare you even think that a liberal would do anything so base and…and…common! Allowing partisan considerations to enter into such an extraordinarily serious matter is something only Rethuglicans and those evil Neocons do. Those blessed with the superior moral vision to see the shining path leading to American redemption that can be found in impeachment are not concerned with such ordinary trivialities such as whether a Democrat sits in the White House.
Phooey! If this over the top drama were taking place in some other countries that liberals admire, John Conyers wouldn’t be making the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows coyly hinting at overturning an election. He’d be lined up against a wall behind one of those superior medical clinics in Havana. And liberal bloggers wouldn’t be writing hysterical treatises on how close we are to rack and ruin. They’d be disappeared faster than you can say “Hugo Chavez.”
This in and of itself gives the lie to the left’s wildly exaggerated claims that the United States is slipping into some kind of putative dictatorship. If we were, they’d never get the chance to make the claim in the first place.
But this kind of logic seems to escape those whose paranoid, overwrought, frenzied rhetoric about a myriad of conspiracies to steal American liberty has gotten so out of control that reading some of their breathlessly juvenile scribblings, one is torn between tearing your hair out in frustration that anyone could be so idiotic or falling to the floor and rolling around, laughing your ass off:
Come home America, come home.It is time to come home from distant wars against fictions and phantoms. It is time to come home to your wives how (sic) miss you, to your children who need you, to your families that feel the pain of missing souls.
It is time to come home America, home to the cities that have been flooded, the forests left untended, the fields left untilled. It is time to come home America, to the work left undone, the minds left unschooled. It is time to come America, to the home you did not leave behind, because no home ever lasts if left unrepaired.
And how about this drama queen:
It’s not that we don’t know enough to be enraged. We know too much. About too many things. Our rage is splintered, spread too thin to be effective. For the past five years, people in this country and around the world have protested against Bush and Cheney’s genocidal assault on two helpless nations. As they prepare openly for yet another bloody attack on yet another nation, we continue to sign petitions, hold meetings, march against the corporate machine—all to no avail.The issues catapaulting citizens into the streets are outrageous—each one deserving of a “million man march” on its own merits. However, because we are frustrated by a relentless media blackout and by the deepening corruption, loss of freedoms and the tightening noose of tyranny, our cries are little more than a cacophony of discord—an impotent racket.
“Cacophony” indeed!
And lest you think hyperbole is the exclusive province of obscure, lefty bloggers, how about this gem from Firedoglake:
This week, a cowardly President who resembles more the King George the colonists revolted against than any of the courageous patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence signed another document, freeing a convicted felon, a crony, from the justice peers found he richly deserved, again trampling on the rule of law. Yesterday, his spokesman insulted the intelligence of reporters and the American people by trying to justify this cowardly act. But in the process, Tony Snow let slip a tidbit that may just be the string that unravels a huge criminal conspiracy
Just what has changed in the America that has caused this sudden upsurge in hyperbole? The more desperate the situation in America – the more dire the circumstances, the more heroic liberals will see themselves when they save the day by impeaching Bush and Cheney. It’s that simple.
Michelle Malkin points out that on numerous occasions prior to the election, the Democrats swore on a stack of bibles – or, given the left’s jaundiced view of religion, maybe on a pile of palm fronds – that come what may, they wouldn’t initiate impeachment proceedings against the President.
This was an extremely useful lie in that it kept enough of Bush’s conservative base at home on election day to allow the the Democratic party to pick up a dozen or more seats by the hair of Hillary’s chinny chin-chin. The way that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi sat on John Conyers and his little impeachment flea circus was deft politics in that the only thing that would have energized conservatives in 2006 was the prospect of Conyers trotting out his truther brigade in order to go over exactly the same ground examined by two Congressional Committees, an in house Pentagon probe (no link), the 9/11 Commission, and the Butler Commission in Great Britain. Reams and reams of paper all saying the same thing; you’re a loon if you believe in some kind of grand “criminal conspiracy.
This won’t stop Conyers. Nor will it stop the netnuts who are ultimately driving this impeachment bandwagon. Whether Republicans care enough about this President to get in their way is an open question.
My prediction? Better install a tampax dispenser in the Oval Office bathroom.
7:15 pm
Sounds like a somewhat hysterical anti-liberal rant answering to an admittedly also sometimes hysterical anti-Bush rant.
Mr. Moran, there ARE some real concerns
about the rule of law (secrecy policy, eavesdropping without juridical warrant, VicePres not part of the executive, etc.)
and about human rights (habeas corpus, torture, rendition program, etc.)
that make the world wonder.
Is there no problem for you? Absolutely no problem?
Why not talk in a calm voice with sound liberals who are open to a sober debate?
7:18 pm
What fun is that?
And of course I have concerns – if you read this site from time to time, you know I do.
But the republic is not falling apart. And those who say so either because they’re too stupid to know otherwise or for partisan political purposes need to be savagely abused.
7:19 pm
Booyah!
I know we’re on the same team and all, but leftist imaginations have been given way too much fertilizer by supposedly mainstream Dems and the beloved, fact obsessed when it’s convenient MSM.
Thanks, Rick, for capping a Sunday evening with an intertube silce of red meat to go along with my grilled steak and Chardonnay (mouth breathers never match food with wine – I can barely coordinate my clothes).
7:29 pm
“Why not talk in a calm voice with sound liberals who are open to a sober debate?”
Interesting choice of words – “sound” in a spot where “principled” was called for. Then again, principled liberals are now the “sound” liberals sworn enemy. Joe Lieberman being the most prominent example.
8:51 pm
You are a wicked good writer Rick Moran! Love this piece, keep it coming.
9:09 pm
Leftism is a personality disorder in which the degree of anxiety is unrelated to the nature or condition of the external world.
10:26 pm
Rick,
You mentioned, ” My prediction? Better install a tampax dispenser in the Oval Office bathroom. ”
I take it you meant that would be needed for the harem of new girlfriends,a.k.a interns of the new President’s First Man starting in the year 2009.
10:52 pm
Good post my only question is; was that the puppet show I watched or the later cartoon version?
12:09 am
Liberals remind me of Jack Nicholson’s comment on women: “Take a man, and remove reason and accountability.” The libs have become a party of shrieking crones and girlie-men who disgrace themselves with unbridled emo and corrupt dishonesty, all while howling and finger-pointing at their opponents.
5:05 am
To what degree are you willing or capable to harbour doubt when your own people are in power?
The Fathers of the Constitution established checks and balances – they had considerable mistrust in power and in government, and for good reason.
What we observe today when we look to the USA from Europe—is bewildering. Those people from whom we (most of all: we Germans) have learnt such a lot about Democracy – those people may have lost the sense of Democratic checks and balances and shift so much power to the government that this government can re-establish torture, can eavesdrop without court surveillance, throws out habeas corpus for “enemies”, etc.?
Mr. Moran, I’ve have just discovered your blog yesterday, and found it articulate and good for me to learn more about the pro-Bush mindset in the USA.
I read a blog like yours with personal respect: I realize there is a person with knowledge and good reflection who tried to make sense of the world.
I have not read the entries in which you utter doubts concerning the rule of law and human rights. I will try to find them – I am a doubter, and it’s always the mutual capability of doubt that connects me most to people, whatever principles they may follow.
5:13 am
If you’ve come for the “Pro-Bush” mindset, you will be radically disappointed.
If you’ve come for commentary that argues most of what you read in Europe is hogwash and that “warantless surviellance” is a myth – as well as other charges that the US is becoming some kind of banana republic dictatorship – then keep reading.
Search for “torture” posts on this site and you will see where I stand – closer to your position than some on the right. As far as “habeus corpus” for “enemies” (curious that you would put that word in quotes – as if they only exist in our imagination) there are a wealth of posts on this subject as well – much more nuanced than the screaming idiots of both left and right.
Sorry you can’t pigeonhole me. Never assume anything just by what some on the right believe or some on the left accuse the right of believing. Here, you will get my thoughts and beliefs – not talking points and certainly not what the left tells me I should believe simply because I’m conservative.
Here’s just one example from my posts on torture:
http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2006/07/01/escaping-the-legal-and-moral-quagmire-of-guantanamo/
5:23 am
to sweetie, who wrote: “sound†in a spot where “principled†was called for …
Principled, yes, f.e. in the question of torture. The USA has re-introduced torture as a part of interrogation. And Republican candidates for President mostly and openly advocate the use of torture.
Thus they have abandoned the principles Western nations stand for, the principles which could unite us in our fight against the fanatics, who ever they are, Islamists, Chinese, or else.
I am a liberal, and among my principles are:
No torture!
Checks and balances!
No war of aggression!
Inclusion of minorities!
Make the center = the middle classes strong! (= mistrust the very rich, the people with too much money power, and help the poorer third to catch up with the middle third of the people)
And I am a Christian who follows Jesus’ word: Love your enemy!
(what means: respect him the way he is)
Here, sweetie, you have some of the principles of a liberal guy (in Germany we call us Social Democrats and Greens), and I think all these principles allow a bridge to Conservatives, allow a friendly dialogue between us. At least in Germany.
Lieberman seems to have abandoned principled liberalism in some principles …
5:47 am
While I appreciate the reason for more liberal bashing posts recently, I do note that there is one thing that a lot of people are deeply concerned about with regard to the continuing Bush presidency, and that is what actions they will take before 2009.
The primary concern would be that they will attaempt to ‘double down’ on the Middle East and go for the long awaited airstrikes on Iran. There is some reason to be concerned about such an attack. Cheyney would pretty obviously like it, and Bush might be persuaded that it would be the crowning achievement that ensured that history’s reading of him in 100 years would be favourable.
Of course, there is no guarantee that the Dems wouldn’t do the same thing, but there is a palpable feeling that if it isn’t done in the next couple of years, it will not be done at all, and that a nuclear Iran is inevitable.
Much of the impeachment drive comes from this sort of strategic or moral thinking, trying to prevent complete disaster while there is time.
I don’t comment on whether it is right or wrong, but it is certainly a large part of the desire to get rid of B&C before 2009.
“Liberals remind me of Jack Nicholson’s comment on women: “Take a man, and remove reason and accountability.†”
And I just have to note that quoting a character who was created to showcase ignorant boorishness and pathological disregard for the concerns of others in an approving manner is, well, just funny.
10:21 am
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3:28 pm
Dear Rick Moran,
I’ve read your 2006-post about Guantanamo now, and it is a very good one. I apologize for my trying to “pigeonhole” you concerning torture.
My general problem with your post about liberal hysteria and with the debate is this: It all sounds very much like a civil war. The way you express yourself, Rick Moran, is quite hot … as if you wage a civil war with people whom you call liberals.
Is it really a good idea for Americans, liberal or conservative, to wage a verbal civil war with each other?
Both sides NEED each other, and so need understanding and compromise for each other to be able to govern the country in a sound way.
A constructive culture of debate in a democracy requires some friendliness and visible respect for the other side.
You are no liberal, Rick Moran, and I do not intend you to convince of my liberal views, but I suppose you (and your nation) cannot remain strong without a strong liberal movement – as it will not prevail without a strong conservative movement, too. Both sides need each other, to balance each other.
—-
As for “enemy” in quotation marks in my post before your answer: I am a Christian and try to follow Jesus: Love your enemy.
I hold (different to many American Christians) that this means and can only mean: Respect your enemy they way this enemy is.
I’ve taught myself to do that when I studied Hitler’s biography … He is an enemy, for sure, and a capital one. But a human being nevertheless, and I want to understand him: his convictions, his motives, his mindset. I want to feel the humanity in this man who acted in the most inhumane way possible.
(I would have assassinated him, had I lived in his time and had I found an opportunity to do so then. But I would not have done that from hatred. There are better reasons to fight an enemy …)
So I used the “” to distance myself a little bit from the hatred-version of what an enemy is.
5:19 am
Mr Moran,
I tracked over here after your polemic on Unleashed at the ABC site. Running the mouse over the topics that you have addressed it alighted on “Impeachment”
I often have conversations with the acknowledged doyen of Australian psephologists and have raised the possiblity of the impeachment of The Faux Texan and Five Deferment Dick, my preferred noms du blog for POTUS and VPOTUS. For hope springs eternal!
Not a chance says the psephologist. For even though the Democrats may clean up in the House, the Senate and may even occupy the White House they will not obtain the necessary two thirds majority in the Senate to assure conviction. As it is also very unlikely that any Republican will cross the floor, as in the Westminster Parliamentary System. This despite the disastrous voyage on which The Faux Texan and current encumbrance in the White House and the Neo/Theocon Cabal have taken the US Ship of State, in both domestic and foreign waters.
It’s the old saw “If they do not hang together they will surely hang separately”
Wha? Your friend is a loon. Bush is gone in January of 2009. How does the new Congress get to impeach someone who is out of office.
I would suggest before you comment on American politics, you learn something about it rather than writing incoherent rants using terms of which you know absolutely nothing.
ed.